Iceskate blade sharpening machine and method of using said machine for sharpening iceskate blades

ABSTRACT

A pair of iceskate blades are aligned with a templet in a jig. The templet is brought to bear against a rigid fence that is mounted on a structure that includes adjustably positioned endless abrasive belts that are arranged to contact and abrade the bottom surface of the iceskate blades.

United States Patent Weisman [451 Mar. 21, 1972 [54] ICESKATE BLADESHARPENING References Cited MACHINE AND METHOD OF USING UNITED STATESPATENTS SAID MACHINE FOR SHARPENING 2 406 689 8/1946 Ind 51/141 X geICESKATE BLADES 2,172,522 12/1956 Minami ..51/141 Inventor: CharlesWeisman, 125 North Montgomery Street, Valley Stream, NY. 11580 Filed:Feb. 16, 1970 Appl. No.: 11,584

US. Cl ..5l/l4l Int. Cl ..B24b 21/16 Field ofSearch ..5l/135 R, 141

Primary Examiner-Othe1l M. Simpson Attorney-Leonard H. King [5 7]ABSTRACT 30 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures mammal I972 SHEET 1 0F 4 INVENTOR.67/4/42 55 WE/JMd/l ATTORNEY ICESKATE BLADE SI-IARPENING MACHINE ANDMETHOD OF USING SAID MACHINE FOR SHARPENING ICESKATE BLADES Theaforementioned abstract is neither intended to define the invention ofthe application which, of course, is measured by the claims, nor is itintended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.

This invention relates generally to grinding machines and moreparticularly to a grinding machine for and a method of preciselysharpening the lower, running surface of a pair of iceskate blades.

BACKGROUND OF TI-IE INVENTION In order to achieve maximum efficiency inthe use of iceskates, the blades must be accurately sharpened, so as toprovide a concave surface on the bottom edge. The concave or hollowportion of the blade runs for the length of the blade and must bedefined by sharp longitudinal edges that are in a common plane as nearto perpendicular to the side edge of the blade as is possible.Furthermore, a generous radius is provided from the sole to the heelportions of the blade. A properly sharpened blade not only permits theskates to be used to maximum efficiency but it also makes skating easierthus adding to the enjoyment of skating for amateurs. Needless to say,professional skaters must maintain their blades at peak quality.However, in spite of the inherent hardness of the blade material theybecome dull with even limited US.

Iceskate blades can, of course, be honed by hand. However, it isvirtually impossible to manually sharpen blades accurately regardless ofthe care that is exercised. For this reason, attempts have been made todevelop machines that will perform the blade sharpening taskautomatically. Preferably, the machines should sharpen a pair of bladesat the same time. While the prior art machines that are presentlyavailable represent a substantial improvement over hand operations, ithas long been recognized that they leave much to be desired, as far asthe accuracy of the sharpening and the convenience of the operation areconcerned. Generally speaking the prior art machines use grinding stonesthat are susceptible to wear. Because of the expense of the stones theyare frequently kept in service long after they have outlived theirusefulness. While the stone can be dressed to restore it approximatelyto its original condition, this too, is a burdensome job that requiresconsiderable skill in order to be done properly. The use of a high speedgrinding stone requires considerable experience and even a skilledoperator can improperly sharpen iceskate blades if he uses unevenpressure or if he does not manipulate the iceskate blades uniformlyagainst the stone.

An example of the prior art, is disclosed in US. Pat. No. l,487,l42issued on Mar. 18, 1924 to V.A. Boker. This patent teaches the use of aclamp for rigidly securing a pair of iceskate blades in parallelrelationship to each other. The clamp is also providedwith means forretaining a guide plate. The guide plate is positioned against anarcuate guide that is located between a pair of rotatable grindingstones. When the stones are driven by a motor, the operator rocks theguide plate against the guide so that the iceskate blades are abraded bythe stones. It is apparent that the success of the sharpening operationdepends upon the skill and manual dexterity of the operator. Moreover,the stones must be frequently dressed to maintain them in their bestcondition.

SUMMARY The present invention by way of contrast, provides means foraccurately sharpening a pair of iceskate blades whereby the need for anoperator's skill and manual dexterity is minimized. Further, the presentinvention provides means for automatically grinding a transverselyconcave surface on the running edge of the blade in addition to thelongitudinal radius. In accordance with this invention, the iceskateblades are held in a fixture in spaced parallel relationship to eachother and to an accurately formed templet that is positionedintermediate to the two blades. The fixture is then brought adjacent toa grinding machine that includes two spaced endless abrasive belts thatare in opposition to the blades. The belts are easily adjustable andeasily replaced when worn. A rigid fence is positioned opposite thetemplet. The belts, in the vicinity of the blades traverse asubstantially linear path as opposed to the periphery of the circulargrinding stones used in the prior art. With the templet abutting thefence, all that is necessary for the operator to do is gently rock thetemplet back and forth against the fence so that the blades are groundin accordance with the shape of the templet. Means are provided forvertically adjusting the belts relative to each other, the belts beingof a new type having an abrasive central section formed on a flexiblematerial. The outboard lengths of the belts are free of abrasivematerial.

Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is to providean improved iceskate blade sharpening machine.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an iceskateblade sharpening machine utilizing endless abrasive belts.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide means forclamping a pair of iceskate blades on a jig in spaced parallelrelationship to a templet, the blades and the templet being inopposition to endless abrasive belts and a rigid fence,

respectively.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide an improvediceskate blade sharpening machine, as described above, further includingmeans for accurately adjusting the position of the abrasive belts.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an improved methodfor sharpening iceskate blades.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will,in part, be pointed out which particularity and will, in part, becomeobvious from the following more detailed description of the invention,taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing which forms anintegral part thereof.

In the various figures of the drawing like reference charactersdesignate like parts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section, illustrating theimproved iceskate blade sharpening machine comprising the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the belts and drive means therefor that areused with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the belts and support means therefortaken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a fragmentary, perspective view illustrating a portion of anendless abrasive belt and the support means therefor;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the iceskate blade holding jig takenalong line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the iceskate blade holding jig; and

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a typical templet used with the presentinvention.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 3A,there is shown an iceskate blade sharpening machine 10 comprised of agrinding section 12 and a jig or support section 14. The grindingsection 12 is comprised of a support casting 16 adapted to be secured toa table 18 by means of bolts 20. The upper portion of the casting 16includes, as shown in FIG. 2, a dovetail slide 22 which is engaged by aplaten mount 24 that includes a gib 26. Screws 28 provide means forproperly aligning the gib 26 with respect to the casting 16. At the topof the casting there is provided a micrometer screw 30 (FIG. 1 and FIG.3) with a I/IOOO-inch indicator dial 32.

Upper and lower platens 34a and 34b, respectively, are secured to theupper and lower platen mounts 24a and 24b by means of screws 36. Theplatens 34a and 34b may have a radius of one-half inch to 2 inches. Ateach end of each of the platen mounts 24a and 24b there are providedupper and lower idler pulleys 38 that turn on axles 40. Each of theidler pulleys are mounted on an arm 42 that is secured to an anglebracket 44 by means of bolts 46. The holes in the angle bracket 44through which the bolts 46 pass are slotted in the vertical direction topermit vertical adjustment of the pulleys 38. The angle brackets 44 aresecured to the platen mount 24 by means of bolts 48 which pass throughhorizontally slotted holes in the angle brackets 46 so as to permithorizontal adjustment of the idler pulleys 38.

Behind the vertical casting 16 there is provided a vertical plate 50which is hingedly mounted thereon by means of a pin 52. A compressionspring 54 acts between the plate 50 and the casting so as to normallyurge the plate 50 in a direction away from the casting 10. A screw 54provides means for adjusting the biasing effect of the spring 52. Anelectric motor 56 is secured to the plate 50 by means of a motor mount58 and screws 60. Upper and lower drive pulleys 62a and 62b are securedto the drive shaft 64 of the motor 56 by means of set screws 66, one ofwhich is shown typically in FIG. 2. The motor mount 58 has slotted screwholes so that the motor 56 and the drive pulleys 62a and 62b can bevertically adjusted. A motor well 68 is provided in the table 18 toallow space for the motor 56.

A pair of endless abrasive belts 70a and 70b are trained about the upperand lower drive pulleys 62a and 62b and the idler pulleys 38. As shownbest in FIG. 3A, the abrasive belts 72 are coated only in the centerportion 74 with the longitudinal edge portions 76 being free of anyabrasive material. The abrasive belts 72 are made of a very flexiblecloth so that they may very readily assume the radius of the platens 34aand 34b. Along the top and bottom edges of the upper and lower platenmounts 24a and 24b there are provided hinges 80 that are lightlypressured by springs 82 so that the hinges 80 press against the movingbelts 72 and thereby keep them formed to the shape of the platens 34aand 34b.

As shown best in FIG. 3, the micrometer screw is threaded into the upperand lower platen mounts 24a and 24b with oppositely directed threads ineach of the platen mounts 24a and 24b. That is, the upper portion of themicrometer screw 30 that is threaded in the upper platen 24a will beprovided with right hand threads, for example, while the lower end ofthe micrometer screw 30 is threaded into the lower platen mount 24bwhere it will be provided with a left hand screw. Thus, when micrometerscrew 30 is rotated the platen mounts 24a and 24b will move towards andaway from each other in unison. In order to take up any axial play, thatmay be inherent in the mating screw threads, compression spring means 84are positioned between the casting l6 and the upper platen mount 24a andalso between the upper and lower platen mounts 24a and 24b.

The grinding section 12 of the device is completed by means of a fence86 which is integral with laterally spaced arms 88 that are secured tothe casting 16 by means of screws 90. Horizontally slotted holes in thearms 88 permit adjustment of the fence towards and away from the casting16 in a horizontal plane.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 1, 4 and 5 for a description of the jigor iceskate blade support section 14 of the machine 10. The jig 14 iscomprised of two members 100 consisting of upper and lower plates 102and 104 respectively, and a connecting plate 106. A U-shaped bracket 108is formed integrally with the connecting member 106 in order to receivea transverse alignment bar 110. Screws 112 rigidly clamp the members 100to the alignment bar 110 when the members 100 are in their properposition. A cross piece 114 extends between each of the upper and lowerplates 102 and 104 and includes upper and lower blade clamps 116a and116k secured thereto by means of screws 118. The blade clamps 116a and 11612 further comprise a central portion 120 that is secured to the crosspieces 114 by means of screws 122. Screws 124 extending between theblade clamp members 116:! and 120 as well as 1l6b and are used to adjustfor various thicknesses of blades. A templet 126 which will be describedin greater detail hereinafter is secured to the right hand edge (FIG. 1)of the central blade clamp portion 120 by means of a set screw 128.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a typical templet 126. The templets areapproximately 16 inches long and 0.156 inch thick. They may be shaped toradii of 6 feet to 30 feet. The choice of the radius is made by theskater in accordance with the type of skating he wishes to do. A typicalskate blade has a 7 foot radius rock and a concave running surface witha radius of five-eighths of an inch. The radius rock is the curvature ofthe bottom of the blade along its length. The concave hollor is theround depth of the bottom of the blade. The edges of the blade aredefined as the inner and outer lower edges formed by the sides andbottom of the blade. It is essential that a line drawn transversely ofthe edges of the blades be perfectly square with the sides of theblades.

In order to sharpen a pair of blades, the thickness of the blade ismeasured with a micrometer. The standard thickness of a blade is usually0.156 inch. The micrometer adjusting screw 30 is turned to indicate0.156. It should be noted at this time that the center of the platens34a and 34b are at the .same height above the table 18 as the points Aand A in FIG. 1. When this is so, the indicator dial 32 reads 0.000. Thescrew of the micrometer 30 is provided with 20 threads per inch in orderto impart a half-thousandths vertical movement of the platen mounts 34aand 34b while indicating one-thousandths on the indicator 32. Since themicrometer screw has 20 threads per inch, it will move the platens 34aand 34b up and down (depending upon the direction of rotation thereof)half of a thousand, while the indicator dial shows 1,000. Thus, thecenter of the blade is aligned vertically with the center of the platens34a and 34b. With the templet 126 positioned against the fence 86, thetemplet 126 is aligned with the blades at the front and back of theblades. The templet 126 and the fence 86 are vertically aligned by meansof a machinists square so that they are in the same plane.

The motor 56 is turned ON and the skate blade is rocked against themoving abrasive belts 72a and 72b which are backed up by the platens 34aand 34b respectively. It is not necessary to sweep the jig across thebelts 72 because of the linear extent of the belts between the pulleys.After several passes against the belt 72, the blades will acquire theshape of the templet 126 and will also acquire a hollow that conforms tothe radius of the platens 34a and 3412. After the skates are removedfrom the jig 14, any slight burs on the side of the blade may be removedwith a small, fine grained stone.

As hereinbefore described a method for sharpening a pair of iceskateblades comprises the steps of aligning the blades with a referencetemplate in a jig, placing the template against a flat, elongated fenceand then rocking the blades on the fence so that the blades are abradedby endless, abrasive belts moving along a substantially linear path inthe vicinity of the blades. The step of aligning the blades may includethe step of aligning both the upper and lower edges of each blade withrespective edges of the template. An additional step in the sharpeningmethod may be the final removal of small burs using fine polishingmeans.

While the foregoing method contemplates sharpening two blades at onetime, the structure of this invention lends itself to an iceskate bladesharpening method wherein one blade is sharpened at a time and then thesharpened blade is used as a template for sharpening the other blade ofa pair. For example, only a single abrasive belt is used. A single bladeis aligned in the jig with a template and is sharpened as describedabove. Then the jig is inverted and the template is replaced by thepreviously sharpened blade. Another blade is placed in the jig and issharpened using the previously sharpened blade as the template. In thismanner, the second blade is shaped exactly as the first.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing, that since the abrasive beltsmove along the length of the blades during sharpening, a very smoothskating surface is produced and the edges are very sharp and uniform.The radius rock of blades that have been improperly sharpened, or whichhave been worn from excessive use, may very easily be restored by meansof standard templets. Because of the design of the apparatus, it isvirtually impossible to accidentally dig into the blade while it isbeing sharpened. It is a very simple matter to remove a blemish anywhereon the blade by sharpening only that part. The apparatus is very simpleto use and obviates the need for any skill or manual dexterity onthepart of the operator.

lt has been disclosed heretofore the best embodiment of the inventionpresently contemplated. However, it is to be understood that variouschanges and modifications may be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

What l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. Anapparatus for sharpening an iceskate blade, said apparatus comprisingthe combination of:

a. first frame means;

b. a motor mounted on said first frame means, said motor havingrotatable output means;

c. at least one endless, abrasive belt driven by said motor outputmeans;

d. means on said first frame means for supporting said belt whereby atleast a portion thereof traverses a substantially linear path;

e. second frame means for removably supporting at least one iceskateblade in opposition to said belt; and

f. template means and template follower means, one of said last twomentioned means being secured to said first frame means, the other ofsaid last two mentioned means being secured to said second frame means,said template follower means being in opposition to said template meansand arranged to be contacted by the surface thereof whereby the iceskateblade is placed in contact with and is abraded by said belt inaccordance with the contour of said template means.

2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said belt supportingmeans comprises elongated platen means having a convex transverse crosssection, said belt being flexible and adapted to conform to the shape ofsaid platen means.

3. The apparatus in accordance with claim 2 further includes means foradjusting the position of said platen means relative to said bladesupporting means.

4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said means foradjusting the position of said platen means comprises a screw journaledin said first frame means and threaded through said platen means wherebyrotation of said screw moves said platen means relative to the blade andin a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal plane of the blade.

5. The apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said means foradjusting the position of said platen means comprises a tongue andgroove arrangement for coupling said platen means and said first framewhereby said platen means is moveable in a direction perpendicular tothe longitudinal plane of the blade and means for retaining said platenmeans in its adjusted position.

6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said means foradjusting the position of said platen means comprises means for movingsaid platen means in a plane parallel to the longitudinal plane of theblade, said movement of said platen means being relative to said firstframe means, and means for retaining said platen means in its adjustedposition.

7. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said belt has anabrasive surface only in the central portion thereof, the longitudinaledges of said belt being free of said abrasive.

8. The apparatus in accordance with claim 7 further including means forretaining the longitudinal edges of said belt on said belt supportingmeans.

9. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 further including a pair ofspaced apart idler pulleys positioned at the ends of said belt supportmeans, said pulleys together with said motor output means providingmeans for guiding said belt along a substantially triangular path.

10. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 further including means forreleasably clamping the blade on said second frame means.

11. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said template meanshas an arcuate surface conforming to the desired blade rock.

12. The apparatus in accordance with claim 11 further including meansfor releasably clamping said template means in said second frame means.

13. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said templatefollower means has a substantially flat surface adapted to abut saidtemplate means.

14. The apparatus in accordance with claim 13 further including meansfor releasably clamping said template follower means in said first framemeans.

15. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said second framemeans comprises first and second support members and means for adjustingthe lateral spacing there between.

16. An apparatus for simultaneously sharpening a pair of iceskateblades, said apparatus comprising the combination of:

a. first frame means;

b. a motor mounted on said first frame means, said motor havingrotatable output means;

0. a pair of endless abrasive belts driven by said motor output means,said belts being spaced apart in a direction parallel to the rotationalaxis of said motor output means;

d. means on said first frame means for supporting said pair of beltswhereby at least a portion of each of said belts traverses asubstantially linear path;

e. second frame means for removably supporting the pair of iceskateblades in substantially the same spaced apart relation and in oppositionto said pair of belts; and

f. template means and template follower means, one of said last twomentioned means being secured to said first frame means, the other ofsaid last two mentioned means being secured to said second frame means,said template follower means being in opposition to said template meansand arranged to be contacted by the surface thereof whereby the iceskateblades are placed in contact with and are abraded by said belt inaccordance with the contour of said template means.

17. The apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein said beltsupporting means comprises a pair of spaced elongated platen means eachhaving a convex transverse cross section, said belts being flexible andadapted to conform to the shape of said platen means.

18. The apparatus in accordance with claim 17 further includes means foradjusting the position of each said platen means relative to said bladesupporting means.

19. The apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein said means foradjusting the position of said platen means comprises a screw journaledin said first frame means and threaded through said platen means wherebyrotation of said screw moves said platen means relative to the bladesand in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal plane of theblades.

20. The apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein said means foradjusting the position of said platen means comprises a tongue andgroove arrangement for coupling said platen means and said first framewhereby said platen means is moveable in a direction perpendicular tothe longitudinal plane of the blade and means for retaining said platenmeans in their adjusted position.

21. The apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein said means foradjusting the position of said platen means comprises means for movingsaid platen means in planes parallel to the longitudinal plane of theblades said movement of said platen means being relative to said firstframe means, and means for retaining said platen means in its adjustedposition.

22. The apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein said belts have anabrasive surface only in the central portion thereof, the longitudinaledges of each said belt being free of said abrasive.

23. The apparatus in accordance with claim 22 further including meansfor retaining the longitudinal edges of said belts on said beltsupporting means.

24. The apparatus in accordance with claim 16 further including a pairof spaced apart idler pulleys positioned at the ends of said beltsupport means, said pulleys together with said motor output meansproviding means for guiding said belts along a substantially triangularpath.

25. The apparatus in accordance with claim 16 further including meansfor releasably clamping the blade on said second frame means.

26. The apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein said templatemeans has an arcuate surface conforming to the desired blade rock ofeach of the blades.

27. The apparatus in accordance with claim 26 further including meansfor releasably clamping said template means in said second frame means.

28. The apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein said templatefollower means has a substantially flat surface adapted to abut saidtemplate means.

29. The apparatus in accordance with claim 28 further including meansfor releasably clamping said template follower means in said first framemeans.

30. The apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein said second framemeans comprises first and second support members and means for adjustingthe lateral spacing there between.

1. An apparatus for sharpening an iceskate blade, said apparatuscomprising the combination of: a. first frame means; b. a motor mountedon said first frame means, said motor having rotatable output means; c.at least one endless, abrasive belt driven by said motor output means;d. means on said first frame means for supporting said belt whereby atleast a portion thereof traverses a substantially linear path; e. secondframe means for removably supporting at least one iceskate blade inopposition to said belt; and f. template means and template followermeans, one of said last two mentioned means being secured to said firstframe means, the other of said last two mentioned means being secured tosaid second frame means, said template follower means being inopposition to said template means and arranged to be contacted by thesurface thereof whereby the iceskate blade is placed in contact with andis abraded by said belt in accordance with the contour of said templatemeans.
 2. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1 wherein said beltsupporting means comprises elongated platen means having a convextransverse cross section, said belt being flexible and adapted toconform to the shape of said platen means.
 3. The apparatus inaccordance with claim 2 further includes means for adjusting theposition of said platen means relative to said blade supporting means.4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said means foradjusting the position of said platen means comprises a screw journaledin said first frame means and threaded through said pLaten means wherebyrotation of said screw moves said platen means relative to the blade andin a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal plane of the blade. 5.The apparatus in accordance with claim 3 wherein said means foradjusting the position of said platen means comprises a tongue andgroove arrangement for coupling said platen means and said first framewhereby said platen means is moveable in a direction perpendicular tothe longitudinal plane of the blade and means for retaining said platenmeans in its adjusted position.
 6. The apparatus in accordance withclaim 3 wherein said means for adjusting the position of said platenmeans comprises means for moving said platen means in a plane parallelto the longitudinal plane of the blade, said movement of said platenmeans being relative to said first frame means, and means for retainingsaid platen means in its adjusted position.
 7. The apparatus inaccordance with claim 1 wherein said belt has an abrasive surface onlyin the central portion thereof, the longitudinal edges of said beltbeing free of said abrasive.
 8. The apparatus in accordance with claim 7further including means for retaining the longitudinal edges of saidbelt on said belt supporting means.
 9. The apparatus in accordance withclaim 1 further including a pair of spaced apart idler pulleyspositioned at the ends of said belt support means, said pulleys togetherwith said motor output means providing means for guiding said belt alonga substantially triangular path.
 10. The apparatus in accordance withclaim 1 further including means for releasably clamping the blade onsaid second frame means.
 11. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1wherein said template means has an arcuate surface conforming to thedesired blade rock.
 12. The apparatus in accordance with claim 11further including means for releasably clamping said template means insaid second frame means.
 13. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1wherein said template follower means has a substantially flat surfaceadapted to abut said template means.
 14. The apparatus in accordancewith claim 13 further including means for releasably clamping saidtemplate follower means in said first frame means.
 15. The apparatus inaccordance with claim 1 wherein said second frame means comprises firstand second support members and means for adjusting the lateral spacingthere between.
 16. An apparatus for simultaneously sharpening a pair oficeskate blades, said apparatus comprising the combination of: a. firstframe means; b. a motor mounted on said first frame means, said motorhaving rotatable output means; c. a pair of endless abrasive beltsdriven by said motor output means, said belts being spaced apart in adirection parallel to the rotational axis of said motor output means; d.means on said first frame means for supporting said pair of beltswhereby at least a portion of each of said belts traverses asubstantially linear path; e. second frame means for removablysupporting the pair of iceskate blades in substantially the same spacedapart relation and in opposition to said pair of belts; and f. templatemeans and template follower means, one of said last two mentioned meansbeing secured to said first frame means, the other of said last twomentioned means being secured to said second frame means, said templatefollower means being in opposition to said template means and arrangedto be contacted by the surface thereof whereby the iceskate blades areplaced in contact with and are abraded by said belt in accordance withthe contour of said template means.
 17. The apparatus in accordance withclaim 16 wherein said belt supporting means comprises a pair of spacedelongated platen means each having a convex transverse cross section,said belts being flexible and adapted to conform to the shape of saidplaten means.
 18. The apparatus in accordance with claim 17 furtherincludes means for adjusting the position of each saId platen meansrelative to said blade supporting means.
 19. The apparatus in accordancewith claim 18 wherein said means for adjusting the position of saidplaten means comprises a screw journaled in said first frame means andthreaded through said platen means whereby rotation of said screw movessaid platen means relative to the blades and in a directionperpendicular to the longitudinal plane of the blades.
 20. The apparatusin accordance with claim 18 wherein said means for adjusting theposition of said platen means comprises a tongue and groove arrangementfor coupling said platen means and said first frame whereby said platenmeans is moveable in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal planeof the blade and means for retaining said platen means in their adjustedposition.
 21. The apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein saidmeans for adjusting the position of said platen means comprises meansfor moving said platen means in planes parallel to the longitudinalplane of the blades said movement of said platen means being relative tosaid first frame means, and means for retaining said platen means in itsadjusted position.
 22. The apparatus in accordance with claim 16 whereinsaid belts have an abrasive surface only in the central portion thereof,the longitudinal edges of each said belt being free of said abrasive.23. The apparatus in accordance with claim 22 further including meansfor retaining the longitudinal edges of said belts on said beltsupporting means.
 24. The apparatus in accordance with claim 16 furtherincluding a pair of spaced apart idler pulleys positioned at the ends ofsaid belt support means, said pulleys together with said motor outputmeans providing means for guiding said belts along a substantiallytriangular path.
 25. The apparatus in accordance with claim 16 furtherincluding means for releasably clamping the blade on said second framemeans.
 26. The apparatus in accordance with claim 16 wherein saidtemplate means has an arcuate surface conforming to the desired bladerock of each of the blades.
 27. The apparatus in accordance with claim26 further including means for releasably clamping said template meansin said second frame means.
 28. The apparatus in accordance with claim16 wherein said template follower means has a substantially flat surfaceadapted to abut said template means.
 29. The apparatus in accordancewith claim 28 further including means for releasably clamping saidtemplate follower means in said first frame means.
 30. The apparatus inaccordance with claim 16 wherein said second frame means comprises firstand second support members and means for adjusting the lateral spacingthere between.